This application relates to an animal protective method and apparatus for protecting the animal from electrical power and particularly for protecting cows during automatic mechanized milking and the like from electrical power.
The milking of cows has developed over the years from a completely manual hand operation to a highly automated mechanized process. In an automated pipeline system, the cows may be placed during milking in a conventional farm building having a plurality of stanchions for housing each of the several cows. A pipeline is secured above the stanchions and one or more milking machines are provided for selective connection between the pipeline and the individual cows. The milking machine includes a teat cluster or claw unit for having individual coupling cups for connection to the teats of the cow's udder. The cups are joined to a common collector or claw member, and a flexible, coupling hose formed of a suitable plastic or the like connects the claw to the transfer or collection pipeline. The pipeline transports the milk to a common collection station, normally a large storage tank.
In an alternate and widely used system, the cows are brought in groups to a milking parlor which is a relatively small area having a plurality of milking stations, such as twelve or more stations stalls. The stalls are located along or to opposite sides of an operator pit to locate the cow's udders at a convenient location for washing before and treating after interconnection to a milking machine. Thus, the cows are brought to the operator rather than the operator moving through a large milking area. Each stall includes confining wall-like barriers formed of a suitable galvanized metal piping, formed sheets or the like. The floor is provided with a grate-covered trough on which the rear legs of the cow are located during milking. The grating covers the troughs for collection of the excrement of the cows. The milking machine at each station again includes the coupling claw for manual connection to the cow's teats with flexible plastic tubing interconnecting the claw to a collection piping which in turn is connected to a collection tank.
In either system the cows' udders are washed before and treated after milking. The milking machines are similarly constructed of a stainless steel claw. The claw is in turn connected by flexible plastic tubing to the transfer pipe which is also formed of stainless steel and connected to a stainless steel collection tank.
Various sophisticated cow moving and treating milking parlors have been suggested but all basically may be classified within the general category of the pipeline system or the confined milking parlor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,442, which issued in May 14, 1974, discloses a milking parlor using moving conveyors for locating of the cows in the milking stall. Various electrical equipment which is used in either system constitutes a possible source of electrical shocks if the mechanism should malfunction or the structural installation develop a defect. A severe electrical shock could seriously damage if not kill the cow. The above patent discloses the moving conveyor driven through an isolating drive system to isolate the conveying means from the electrical equipment.
The present inventors, however, recognize that a most significant but less apparent problem exists in automated milking systems and one which has been found may significantly adversely effect the milk release and production by a cow. In particular the inventors have recognized that a dairy farm and particularly automated milking systems include an extraneous voltage environment. In a mechanized milking system, the stall defining framework and structure in either of the basic systems is formed with galvanized metal or other like metal members. Similarly, in a milking parlor, the stall structure includes the floor grate covering the excrement trough and the floor grate is formed of a galvanized metal. As noted previously, the cows are washed and treated during the milking process. Further, movement of the cows into and from the milking area creates a wet area. The cow has been recognized by the inventors as creating an electrolytic conductor which with the milking apparatus and the stall defining structure defines a closed electrical loop. The inventors thus realized that notwithstanding isolation of electrical equipment or the like as has been suggested, the cow may well be and often is subjected to extraneous electrical power which may adversely effect the cow during milking. The inventors for example have discovered that the dissimilar metals used in the stalls and in the milking machine which are connected to and by the cow constitutes a galvanic battery which of course creates a source of power. Although the voltage is low, the cow is connected in good electrical connection to the dissimilar metals as the result of the firm connection of a cup and the conditioning or treating of the cows such as washing and the high moisture environment. Further, the cow forms a good electrolytical conductor and significant irritating current flow may be established. In addition, stray voltages may be coupled into the circuit loop of the milking system and produce an irritating current flow through the cow. Thus, stray voltages may arise from the utility power distribution system which is provided on the dairy farm as well as in other surrounding areas with various voltages and grounds as well as in other surrounding areas. The stray voltages may be created in the best of installations and may of course readily be created by leakage power from any faulty or improperly wired electrical equipment on the dairy farm. Although the cow is not necessarily damaged physically, the cow will react negatively during the milking and tend to withhold her milk. Thus the cow may become so conditioned to the adverse environment so as to react negatively whenever moved into the milking area.
Thus, it is known that the cow produces a hormone in response to stimulation of the teats to release the milk for a maximum period of six to eight minutes. Further, any disturbance of the cow at or just prior to milking generates a defense hormone which restricts the transmission, of the blood and the milk release hormone to the udder, and further may cause the cow to physically react. The cow may, for example, kick her hind legs and knock the milking machine cups off the teats, causing further physical discomfort, and at a minimum reducing the available optimum milking time by the time required to reconnect the milking machine. Further, kicking off the milking cups may even damage the udder. As a result of such disturbances, an incomplete milk let down or release may be created. This not only reduces the production at the particular milking cycle, but reduces the butter fat content and may have following adverse effect. Thus the highest butter fat level is present in the latter part, and generally the last half, of the milking cycle. If milk produced by the cow remains in the udder for a plurality of consecutive milkings, such as twenty, the quantity of milk produced between successive milkings is significantly reduced. Further, the cow may associate the milking area with the adverse condition, and react negatively even in the absence of such conditions.